Dispensing mechanism



Oct 3, 1967 T. w.-DUNCAN ETAL 3,344,957

DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed March 4, 1966 zsheets-she t '1 I BY Q 5 a M %ggfie an/ \r 1 I IYNVENTOR v Fig.12 THOMAS WDUNCAN AND 95 U/MELESNPEE/N,

Oct. 3, 1967 T w DUNCAN ETAL' 3,344,957

- DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed March 4, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR moms WOU/VG4N-& CHARLESNPEk/N,

ATTORN EYS United States Patent 3,344,957 DISPENSING MECHANISM Thomas W. Duncan and Charles N. Perin, Connersville,

1nd,, assignors to Design and Manufacturing Corporation, Connersville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana.

Filed Mar. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 531,697 7 Claims. (Cl. 222-70) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A detergent dispensing mechanism for dishwashing machines, clothes washing machines and the like comprising a detergent dispenser, a portion at least of which is affixed to a shaft and rotatable with the shaft between, a detergent retaining and a detergent dispensing position. The free end of the shaft is provided with a pair of cam means. The first cam means cooperates with a timer-actuated release means to maintain the shaft and the dispenser portion in their detergent retaining position until actuation of the release means by the timer. The second cam serves to disengage the release means from the first cam upon manual rotation of the shaft and dispenser portion from their detergent retaining to their detergent dispensing positions.

The invention relates to a dispensing mechanism, and more particularly to -a timer-controlled means for releasing measured quantities of detergent into the tub or vat of a washing machine or dishwashing machine, at intervals coinciding with desired parts of the cycle of operations of the machine. While the teachings of the present invention are equally applicable to a clothes washing machine, for purposes of an exemplary showing, the invention will be described in connection with detergent dispensing means for dishwashing machines.

Heretofore, dishwashing machines either of the front loading or the top loading types have been provided with sequential detergent dispensers. These sequential detergent dispensers are often actuated by a rotating shaft. The detergent dispensers are generally divided into two or more compartments or chambers. One or more of the chambers may be provided with door means actuated sequentially by the rotating shaft. On the other hand, the compartments themselves may be sequentially rotated by the shaft.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved actuating mechanism for a sequential detergent dispenser of the type utilizing a rotating shaft.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide such a detergent dispenser actuating means utilizing two coacting earns, a first cam acting as a stop to prevent rotation of the shaft except in the proper timed sequence, a second cam adapted to overcome the action of the first cam so that the shaft may be rotated to set the dispenser or the dispenser lid in the proper position.

It is'an object of the present invention to provide an improved form of detergent dispenser having rotating door means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved detergent dispenser of the type wherein the dispenser itself rotates sequentially.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sequential detergent dispenser actuating mechanism characterized by simplicity and compactness, and which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured or repaired.

These and other objects of the invention which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, are accomplished by that structure and arrangement of parts of which cer- "ice tain exemplary embodiments will now be described. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a front opening dishwashing machine with the door lowered.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational View of a sequential detergent dispenser of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the dispenser as seen from the right in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the detergent dispenser of FIG. 2 illustrating the operating mechanism in unactuated position.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the dispenser of FIG. 2 illustrating the operating mechanism in actuated position.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the detergent dispenser and operating mechanism of FIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the stop cam of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the trigger release of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an end elevation of the actuating shaft of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a top loading dishwasher, showing the top in open position.

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a detergent dispenser and operating mechanism for use in a top loading dishwasher.

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of the dispenser taken along the section line 1212 of FIG. 11.

The term detergent as used herein is intended to em brace any material which will be employed in water solution or suspension during a washing cycle of the apparatus, whether this material consists essentially of inorganic salts having water softening and other functions, or whether it contains or consists of surface-active materials having a detergent function, such as soap or nonsoap synthetics, or of substances containing both inorganic salts and surface-active materials. The detergents for use in connection with the apparatus of this invention will be water-soluble substances in powdered or granular form.

It will be understood by the skilled worker in the art that the operations of dishwashing machines include various washing cycles, rinsing cycles, and drying cycles. The specific steps performed by the machine may be selectable by an operator by means of control devices; but the timing is accomplished and the order of performance of the steps is determined by one or more timing devices which are mechanical or electrical in nature. Many dishwashing machines are arranged so that they can perform a plurality of separate washing operations with intermediate rinsings. Since a washing cycle requires the presence of a detergent, the apparatus of this invention is preferably arranged so that it can dispense a plurality of increments of detergent substance at different selected times.

One embodiment of this invention is, for purposes of an exemplary showing, described in connection with under-counter or front-opening dishwashers. Such dishwashers are generally located under a sink counter or the like in a household kitchen, and are characterized by a downwardly opening front door. In FIG. 1 there is shown a dishwashing machine having a body or casing 1, a front opening 2, and a downwardly opening door 3, shown in its open and substantially horizontal position. The dishwashing machine will be provided with various operating instrumentalities (not shown) including one or more timing devices for controlling the cycles of operation of the machine. No attempt has been made to outline the operating instrumentalities of the dishwashing machine, since these are well known in the art as comprising a motor, various valves, heating means, and others Q It will be understood that the timing devices will be connected to these apparatus elements and to a source of power by flexible cables lying between the inner and outer liners of the door and not shown in the drawing. The door 3 may also contain other instrumentalities such as a latch for holding the door in closed position, a safety switch for de-energizing the apparatus when the door is open, and the like. The door 3 is provided with an inner lining generally indicated at 4, which in turn is provided with a substantially rectangular depressed area 5. The door lining may be of plastic material, or it may be a lining of metal, in which case it will normally be covered with a protective coating of enamel of some kind, unless the door lining is made of non-staining metal such as stainless steel. The visible parts of a detergent dispenser are indicated generally at 6, and are shown as mounted in the depressed area 5.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the door liner 4, showing the depressed portion 5 with the dispenser 7 mounted therein. The dispenser itself (see also FIG. 3) may be made of any suitable material which is durable and heat and water resistant. For example, the dispenser may be made of plastic or the like. The dispenser is divided into a first chamber 8, and a second chamber 9 thereabove. The first chamber 8 is provided with a downwardly and outwardly sloping lower surface 8a, and the second chamber 9 is also provided with a downwardly and outwardly sloping surface 9a. That portion of the front surface of the dispenser surrounding the second chamber 9 is in the form of a peripheral raised shelf 10. It will be noted in FIG. 2 that the sides 10a and 10b of the shelf are narrow, while the sides 10c and 10d are considerably wider. The sides 10c and 10d are provided with a raised wall 11.

The upper left hand corner of the second chamber 9 (as seen in FIG. 2) has an arcuate shoulder 12. The shoulder 12 has a perforation 13 through which the forward end of a shaft 14 extends (see FIG. 6).

As will be most clear from FIGS. 2, 6 and 9, a door -15, adapted to close the second chamber 9, is non-rotatively affixed to the 'forward end of the shaft. The forward end of the shaft is provided with a threaded perforation 16 and a pair of diametrically opposed lugs 17 and 18. One corner of the door has a perforation 19 with a pair of diametrically opposed extensions 19a and 19b. The extension 19a and 19b are adapted to receive the lugs 17 and 18 so that the door is non-rotatable with respect to the shaft 14. The door is secured to the shaft end by any suitable means such as a screw 20 and lock washer 21.

The door 15 is provided with an outwardly extending flange or handle 15a, as seen in FIG. 2, and inwardly extending flanges 15b and 150, best seen in FIG. 6. The door and shaft assembly is (rotatable between an open position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, and a closed position indicated in dotted lines. When the door is in its open position, the interior of the second chamber 9 is exposed. The open position of the door is limited by contact of the door flange 15b with an upturned end portion 11a of the wall 11. When the door 15 is in its closed position, it overlies all four sides of the raised surface 10. The door flanges 15b and 150 contact the outer edges of the raised surface portions 10a and 10b, thereby defining the closed position of the door and assuring retention of detergent material in the chamber 9 when the dishwasher door 3 is in its vertical closed position.

The assembly of the dispenser and its actuating mechanism is most clearly shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The forward end of the shaft 14 is of increased diameter as at 22. An annular bearing means 23 lies between the shaft portion 22 and the shoulder 12 (see FIG. 2) of the dispenser at the .perforation 13. The shaft 14 extends through the perforation 13 and through a bushing 24. The bushing 24 comprises a cylindrical portion 24a, an outwardly extending peripheral flange 24b and a cylindrical exteriorly threaded portion 24c. The forward end of the cylindrical portion 24a abuts the inside surface of the dispenser shoulder 12 at the perforation '13.

A bracket means 25 is suitably affixed to the inside surface of the door liner 4. The bracket 25 is so configured as to accommodate the depressed portion 5 of the door liner. The depressed portion 5 and the bracket are provided with coaxial and matching perforations, generally indicated at 26. The shaft 14 and the threaded portion 24c of the bushing 24 extend through the perforation 26. An annular sealing means 27 lies between the flange 24b of the bushing 24 and the outside surface of the depressed portion 5 of the door liner, insuring that no water enters through the perforation 26. The threaded portion 24c of the bushing, extending through the perforation 26, is engaged by an annular internally threaded ring 28. The rearward end of the shaft 14 extends through the convolutions of a cam spring 29, a perforation 30 in a stop cam 31, and a perforation 32 in a release cam 33. As will be more fully described hereinafter, the stop cam 31 is rotatable with respect to the shaft 14, while the release cam 33 is non-rotatable with respect to the shaft. The nonrotatable engagement of the shaft by the cam 33 may be accomplished by means of a pin 34 passing through a perforation in the cam 33 and a perforation in the shaft.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the stop cam 31 is provided with a cylindrical shoulder 35 through which the perforation 30 extends. The cam 31 has a stop surface 36, a camming surface 37, a notch '38, and a rearwardly extending lug 39.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the release cam is provided with a cylindrical shoulder 40 through which the perforation 32 extends. The cam 33 also has a surface 41 adapted to cooperate with the lug 39 of the stop cam, a first cam surface 42 corresponding to the cam surface 37 on the stop cam, and a second cam surface or releasing surface 43.

It will be noted in FIGS. 4 and 5 that when the elements thus far described are in assembly, a hooked end 29a of the cam spring 29 engages the stop cam in the notch 38 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). The other end 29b of the cam spring is engaged in a notch 44 in a rearwardly extending portion 45 of the bracket 25. Thus, as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5 the camming spring 29 tends to urge the stop cam 31 in a counterclockwise direction. By virtue of the interaction of the lug 39 of the stop cam 31 and the surface 41 of the release cam 33, it will be understood that if the stop cam is caused to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, it will cause the release cam to rotate in the same direction. Similarly, if the release cam is rotated in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5) it will cause the stop cam to rotate in the same direction.

A trigger release, generally indicated at 46 in FIG. 8, has a channel-shaped body portion 46a and a bent over end 46b. The body portion 46a and the end 46b form a right angle corner 47. The trigger release is pivotally affixed to the bracket 25 by means of a pivot pin 48 passing through a pair of coaxial perforations 49 and 50 in the trigger release body. The pivot pin 48 also passes through the convolutions of a trigger release spring 51. One end 51a of the spring is engaged in a perforation 52 in the trigger release body, while the other end 5112 is engaged in a notch 53 in a rearwardly extending portion 54 of the bracket 25. The trigger release spring 51 tends to urge the trigger release 46 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The trigger release end 4612 is provided with a perforation 55 which is engaged by a pin 56 mounted on the end of the core element 57 of a solenoid 58. The solenoid 58 is, in turn, suitably mounted on the bracket 25. It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the solenoid is connected to and actuated by one of the above mentioned timing devices, so that the solenoid is actuated at the proper time in the dishwashing cycle.

The operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 9 may be described as follows. The dishwasher 1 is loaded with tableware to be washed, and the door 3 will be in its substantially horizontal open position. The operator then fills the first chamber 8 and the second chamber 9 of the dispenser 7. The second chamber 9 is closed by rotation of the door 15 to its closed position.

When the door 15 is in its open position, the actuating mechanism is in the position shown in FIG. 5. The trigger release 46 lies against the corresponding cam surfaces 37 and 42 of the earns 31 and 33 respectively.

As the door 15 is rotated to its closed position, the shaft 14 will be rotated in a clockwise direction, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. Since the release cam 33 is non-rotatively affixed to the shaft 14, it will rotate with it in a clockwise direction. The clockwise rotation of the release cam 33 will cause a clockwise rotation of the stop cam 31 against the action of the stop cam spring 29, by virtue of the interengagement of the surface 41 on the cam 33 and the lug 39 on the cam 31. When the door 15 is in its fully closed position, the right angle corner 47 and the end 46b of the trigger release will engage the stop surface 36 of the cam 31. This is true by virtue of the fact that the trigger release spring 51 tends to urge the trigger release 46 in a clockwise direction. When the door 15 is in its closed position, the dispenser actuating mechanism is in the position shown in FIG. 4.

The operator then closes the dishwasher door 3. When the door attains its vertical closed position, the detergent material in the chamber 8 is free to fall into the tub or vat of the dishwasher, ready for use in the first washing cycle. Complete discharge of the detergent material from the chamber 8 is assured by the sloping surface 8a. During the first washing cycle and any additional cycle or cycles such as a rinsing cycle, the detergent in chamber B is retained in the dispenser by virtue of the door '15.

At an appropriate time in the dishwashing cycle, the second wash operation will be initiated. A timer device will actuate the solenoid '58 causing the trigger release 46 to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction against the action of the spring 51. counterclockwise rotation of the trigger 46 will cause it to be disengaged with the stop surface 36 of the cam 31. Thus released, the cam 31 will be free to rotate in a counterclockwise direction under the influence of the cam spring 29. By virtue of the interaction of the lug 39 on the cam 31 and the surface 41 on the cam' 33, the cam 31 will cause the cam 33 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. Since the cam 33 is non-rotatively affixed to the shaft 14, rotation of the cam 33 will cause rotation of the shaft 14 and, in turn, rotation of the door 15 to its open position. When the door 15 is in its open position, the detergent material in the chamber 9 is free to fall into the vat for use in the second washing cycle. The detergent material will he completely discharged from the chamber 9 by virtue of the sloping surface 9a.

When the door 15 is again in its open position, the door actuating means will again be in the position shown in FIG. 5. When the dishwashing machine has completed its various washing, rinsing and drying cycles, the door 3 may be opened and the tableware removed from the vat. It will be noted that, when the dishwashing machine has completed its operation, the dispenser will be ready to receive additional amounts of detergent material when the dishwasher is to be used again.

Should it be desired to manually rotate the door 15 from a closed to an open position, this is made possible by the action of the release cam 33. Attention is directed to FIG. 4 wherein the door actuating assembly is shown in the door-closed position. Since the stop cam, engaged by the trigger release 46, is not fixedly mounted on the shaft 14, the shaft 14 and the release cam 33 are rotatable independently of the stop cam. Thus, as the door 15 is manually rotated from a closed position toward an open position, the release surface 43 of the cam 33 will contact the right angle corner 47 of the trigger release and cause it to rotate in a counterclockwise direction out of engagement with the stop surface 36 on the cam 31. With the stop cam 31 thus released from the trigger 46, it will tend to rotate in a counterclockwise direction by virtue of the action of the cam spring 29. The interaction of the lug 39 on the cam 31 and the surface 41 on the cam 33 Will cause the cam 31 to rotate the cam 33 in a counterclockwise direction, and this in turn will rotate the shaft 14 and the door 15 to the door-open position. It will be seen that when the door 15 is to be opened, it is only necessary to rotate it manually by an amount sufficient to cause the release surface 43 to rotate the trigger 46. After this has been accomplished, the cam spring 29 will cause the door to snap to its open position.

FIGS. 10, l1 and 12 illustrate another embodiment of the detergent dispenser of the present invention. FIG. 10 illustrates a top loading diswashing machine, having a body or casing 59, a top opening 60, an interior vat 61, and a door 62 which is shown in its open position. Again, no attempt has been made to outline the operating instru- Inentalities of the dishwashing machine, such as the controls, timing devices, motor, valves, heating means, and the like, since these are well known in the art.

The top loading dishwasher of FIG. 10 has a detergent dispensing device generally indicated at 63. For purposes of an exemplary showing, the dispensing device is illustrated as mounted on the rear wall 61a of the vat. The dispenser 63 is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, and comprises a container having a front wall 64, a rear wall 65, and side walls 66 and 67. The dispenser is divided into a lower chamber 68 and an upper chamber 69. The lower chamber is open as at 68a, and upper chamber 69 is provided with a lid 70. The lid 70 is provided with downwardly depending lugs 70a and 7011, by which it is hinged to the container through the use of screws 71 passing through perforations in the lugs and into the dispenser sides 66 and 67. That portion of the dispenser lying between the containers 68 and 69 has a shaft receiving perforation 72. The perforation 72 has a noncircular cross section, and terminates in a smaller coaxial perforation 73.

It will be noted from FIG. 11 that the operating mechanism for the embodiment of FIGS. 10 through 12 is similar to that for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 9 and like parts have been given like index numerals. In this instance, the shaft 14 is provided with an elongated forward end 74 of noncircular cross section. The forward end 74 is adapted to be received in the dispenser perforation 72 and to be held in place therein by means of the screw 20 which passes through a lock washer 21, the dispenser perforation 73 and into a threaded hole (not shown) in the end of the shaft portion 74. It will be evident that when the shaft 14 is rotated, the entire dispenser 63 will rotate with it.

The shaft 14 passes through an annular sealing means 23, a bushing 24, a second annular sealing means 27 and coaxial perforations generally indicated at 26a in the rear vat wall 610 and the bracket 25a. As described with respect to FIG. 6, that portion of the shaft in FIG. 11 which extends beyond the bracket 25a passes through the annular ring 23, the convolutions of the cam spring 29, and the perforations 30 and 32 in the stop cam 31 and the release cam 33 respectively. The ring 28, cam spring 29, stop cam 31 and release cam 33 are identical to those described with respect to FIG. 6. The hooked end 29a of the cam spring is adapted to engage the notch 38 on the stop cam, and the spring end 29b is adapted to engage the notch 44 in a bent over portion 45 of the bracket 25a.

The bracket 25a is similar to the bracket 25 of FIG. 6, except that since the vat wall 61a is planar (there being no depression 5 therein) the bracket 25a is also planar. In this instance, the bracket 25a is provided with a bent over portion 25b upon which the solenoid 58 is mounted.

A trigger release 46, identical to the trigger release of FIG. 6, is pivotally affixed to the bracket 2511 by means of a pivot pin 48 or the like. The bent over end 46b of the trigger release is attached to the core element 57 of the solenoid 58. A trigger release spring 51 has its convolutions passing around the pivot pin 48, and the spring end 51a passes through the perforation 52 in the trigger release. In this inst-ance, however, the other end 5111 of the spring 51 is adapted to be received in a notch 75 in the bent over portion 25b of the bracket 25a.

The operation of the embodiment of FIGS. through 12 is similar to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 9, and may be described as follows. At the beginning of the dishwashing operation, the dishwashing lid 62 will be raised and the vat 61 (having racks of any well known type) will be loaded with tableware to be washed. The dispenser 63 will be oriented with the opening 68a of the chamber 68 being uppermost. With the dispenser 63 in this position, the cams 31 and 33 and the trigger release 46 will be in substantially the same positions shown in FIG. 5. The chamber 68 is filled with detergent material, and the entire dispenser 63 is then rotated in a counterclockwise direction through a 180. Such rotation of the dispenser 63 and consequently the shaft 14 will cause the cams 31 and 33 and the trigger release 46 to assume the positions shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, since the chamber 68 is open as at 68a, the detergent contents therein are discharged into the vat 61 ready for the first washing operation. The dispenser chamber 69 is now in an upright position, and the lid 70 can be raised and the chamber 69 filled with detergent material. The dishwasher lid 62 is closed and the washing operation is begun. At an appropriate time in the washing cycle, a timer device actuates the solenoid 58, and the trigger release 46 is disengaged from the stop cam 31. The cam spring 29 causes the cam 31 to rotate. This in turn causes the cam 33, the shaft 14 and the dispenser 63 to rotate through a 180. The dispenser chamber 69 is now in its lowermost position, and the lid 70 will assume an open position by gravity. Thus the detergent material in the chamber 69 is discharged into the vat 61 ready for the second washing cycle. When the dispenser 63 is in this position, the cams 31 and 33 and the trigger release 46 again assume substantially the same positions shown in FIG. 5. After the washing operation is over, it will be noted that the dispenser 63 is in the proper position for the preparation of another washing operation, i.e. the chamber 68 will be in its uppermost position.

If, for any reason, at the beginning of a washing cycle the chamber 68 is not in its uppermost position (as for example when a second wash has been omitted from the cycle in a previous washing operation) the dispenser 63 may be manually rotated 180 in a clockwise direction by virtue of the action of the release cam 33. In such an instance, the release cam 33 operates in precisely the same manner as described above in connection with the manual opening of the door 15.

Modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of it. For example, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the actuating mechanism of the present invention may be used with any suitable type of dispenser means, for either a top loading or a front loading dishwashing machine, wherein the actuation of the dispenser depends upon the rotation of a shaft. The actuating mechanism is simple and compact, and depending upon the type of dispenser used, may be located substantially anywhere in the dishwashing vat between the vat wall and the casing.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. For use in a dishwashing machine having a timing device, a detergent dispenser, a portion at least of said dispenser being afiixed to a shaft, said dispenser portion and said shaft being rotatable between a detergent reraining position and a detergent dispensing position,

means for rotating said shaft, said shaft rotating means comprising a first cam and a second cam, said first cam being rotatively mounted on said shaft and having an actuated and an unactuated position corresponding respectively to said retaining and dispensing positions of said shaft and said dispenser portion, means for urging said first cam from said unactuated to said actuated position, said second cam being fixedly secured to said shaft, means on said first cam for engaging and rotating said second cam and said shaft when said first cam is rotated from said unactuated to said actuated position, releasable means for retaining said first cam in said unactuated position, means controlled by said timing device for releasing said retaining means, and additional means on said second cam for releasing said retaining means when said dispenser portion and said shaft are manually rotated from said detergent retaining position to said detergent dispensing position.

2. For use in a dishwashing machine having walls comprising a vat, a door in association with said vat, and a timing device, a detergent dispenser comprising a detergent receiving means, a shaft having a forward end and a rearward end, the forward end of said shaft being affixed to a portion at least of said detergent receiving means, said portion at least of said detergent receiving means and said shaft being rotatable in a first direction to a detergent retaining position and in a second direction to a detergent dispensing position, means for rotating said shaft, said shaft rotating means comprising a first cam having a stop surface and being rotatively mounted on said rearward end of said shaft, means for urging rotation of said first cam in said second direction, a second cam having a release surface and being non-rotatively mounted on said rearward end of said shaft, said first and second cams having an actuated and an unactuated position corresponding respectively to said dispensing and releasing positions of said shaft, means on said first cam for engaging and rotating said second cam to said actuated position when said first cam is rotated to said actuated position, means on said second cam for engaging and rotating said first cam to said unactuated position when said shaft is rotated to said retaining position, trigger means releasably engaging said stop surface of said first cam when said first cam is in said unactuated position, means for releasing said trigger means from said stop surface, said last mentioned means comprising a solenoid actuable by said timer means and connected to said trigger means, said release surface on said second cam engageable with said trigger means to disengage said trigger means from said stop surface when said portion at least of said detergent receiving means and said shaft are rotated in said second direction toward said dispensing position.

3. The structure claimed in claim 2-including a bracket, said shaft extending through a perforation in said bracket, said solenoid mountedon said bracket, said trigger means pivotally affixed to said bracket, spring means in association with said trigger for urging said trigger into engagement with said first cam stop surface, said means for urging rotation of said first cam comprising a spring, one end of said spring engaging said bracket, the other end of said spring engaging said first cam.

4. The structure claimed in claim 2 wherein said detergent receiving means comprises a housing having a first and a second detergent retaining chamber, said portionat least of said detergent receiving means comprisinga door for said second chamber.

5. The structure claimed in claim 2 wherein said detergent receiving means comprises a housing having a first and a second detergent retaining chamber, said first and second chamber having open tops, said tops of said chambers being located at opposite ends of said housing, said housing affixed to said forward end of said shaft, said second chamber having a hinged lid member operable by gravity.

6. The structure claimed in claim 4 in combination with a dishwashing machine having a door located in an exterior wall and the adjacent one of its interior walls, a portion of said exterior wall comprising the outside surface of said door, a portion of said interior wall comprising the inside surface of said door, said door being swingable between a horizontal open position and a vertical closed position, said housing aflixed to said inside surface of said door, said shaft passing through a perforation in said inside surface, said means for rotating said shaft being located within said door between said inside and said outside surfaces.

7. The structure claimed in claim 5 in combination with a dishwashing machine having walls defining a vat, said shaft passing through a perforation in one of said walls of said dishwashing machine into said vat, said means for rotating said shaft being located outside of said vat of said dishwashing machine, said housing afiixed to said forward shaft end adjacent said interior wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,012,565 12/1961 Lines 134-93 3,062,412 11/1962 Cushing 22270 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. HADD S. LANE, Examiner. 

1. FOR USE IN A DISHWASHING MACHINE HAVING A TIMING DEVICE, A DETERGENT DISPENSER, A PORTION AT LEAST OF SAID DISPENSER BEING AFFIXED TO A SHAFT, SAID DISPENSER PORTION AND SAID SHAFT BEING ROTATABLE BETWEEN A DETERGENT RETAINING POSITION AND A DETERGENT DISPENSING POSITION, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT, SAID SHAFT ROTATING MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST CAM AND A SECOND CAM, SAID FIRST CAM BEING ROTATIVELY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND HAVING AN ACTUATED AND AN UNACTUATED POSITION CORRESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO SAID RETAINING AND DISPENSING POSITIONS OF SAID SHAFT AND SAID DISPENSER PORTION, MEANS FOR URGING SAID FIRST CAM FROM SAID UNACTUATED TO SAID ACTUATED POSITION, SAID SECOND CAM BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID SHAFT, MEANS ON SAID FIRST CAM FOR ENGAGING AND ROTATING SAID SECOND CAM AND SAID SHAFT WHEN SAID FIRST CAM IS ROTATED FROM SAID UNACTUATED TO SAID ACTUATED POSITION, RELEASABLE MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID FIRST CAM IN SAID UNACTUATED POSITION, MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID TIMING DEVICE FOR RELEASING SAID RETAINING MEANS, AND ADDITIONAL MEANS ON SAID SECOND CAM FOR RELEASING SAID RETAINING MEANS WHEN SAID DISPENSER PORTION AND SAID SHAFT ARE MANUALLY ROTATED FROM SAID DETERGENT RETAINING POSITION TO SAID DETERGENT DISPENSING POSITION. 